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In fact, Willett did show up at Erin Hills and clearly felt the need to set the record straight at the obvious inference that he was a quitter.

‘Just to set this right,’ he tweeted, ‘I was up at 7.30am with the physio to work on the back. Got to the course at 10 to give me time for two warm-ups.’

The Yorkshireman’s annoyance was understandable given the practice range is only 50 yards from the media centre and he could be seen as plain as day before his second-round tee-time hitting balls in an effort to feel comfortable.

He has long had to manage chronic back problems and it would have been foolish to risk aggravating them given the busy summer ahead by walking a gargantuan 8,000-yard course.

The former Masters champion withdrew from the tournament before teeing off on Friday

That said, the former Masters champion is in the midst of a prolonged slump with, worryingly, no obvious end in sight. He was recently sacked by his caddie Jon Smart owing to the rows they were having on the course and it’s never a good look to withdraw after a bad first round even if there are mitigating circumstances.

Perhaps he could take some inspiration from Tommy Fleetwood, who could barely keep the ball on the golf course this time last year — and now look at him.

The trouble for Willett, who has always been one of the hardest-working professionals, is that it’s difficult to find a solution when your body doesn’t allow you to practise properly.

For that he deserves sympathy, not people putting one and one together and making three.